This invention relates to outdoor residential constructions, and is particularly concerned with support devices for use in deck construction.
Various types of devices have heretofore been used for supporting and/or connecting building elements, such as horizontal beams, joists, stringers, posts and pillars, to a base slab, footing, foundation or block member. For example, such devices include anchor studs, metal brackets, or other supports or devices which are permanently embedded in the concrete in the manufacturing process of the blocks and which are required to make them functional. Such devices or additional components are used to provide vertical and lateral mechanical connection of building elements to a base or as components to other elements but do not have an individual identity or non-mechanical application which facilitates the inexpensive and convenient construction of a simple deck, such as a deck that may be built by the average home owner on unprepared and unleveled ground typical to a residential backyard.
According to the present invention and forming a primary objective thereof, a deck construction is provided including a novel construction support device, which amounts to an improvement over prior structures.
A more particular object of the invention is to provide a construction support device of the type described having a novel arrangement of recesses, walls, and sockets for receiving horizontal beams and the like, and also capable of receiving vertical pillars or posts, all in a variety of selected support connections not heretofore available.
Another object of the invention is to provide an embodiment of the invention comprising a plurality of integrated wall portions disposed in a zig zag pattern and forming one or more full width slots for receiving horizontal beams and the like and also forming a rectangular central socket for receiving a vertical pillar or post.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pier block of the type described having a novel arrangement of recesses and central socket for receiving horizontal two-inch thick (1xc2xd-inch nominal) surface supports, and also capable of receiving vertical wood posts without mechanical connections or additional components, all in a variety of selected support configurations not heretofore available.
In carrying out these objectives, a construction support device is provided for anchoring a beam or other element to the ground or other building site. The device includes a body having upper and lower portions. The lower portion rests on the building site, and the upper portion includes an open slot for holding a beam edgewise. The slot is formed by spaced-apart side walls. The side walls themselves include connected wall portions, which are integrally joined at right angles.
The slot includes a center socket portion that is adapted for securely holding the bottom end of a vertically oriented post. The center socket portion is formed by the side walls extending at right angles away from each other to form corner sections. The corner sections are spaces apart substantially further than the width of the open slot to provide substantial corner support to the post.
In some cases, the side walls which define the slot are part of spaced-apart projections which extend from the upper portion of the body. These projections can be integrally molded with the body to form a single-cast, one-piece block or pier. Alternatively, they may be formed of plastic or metal and suitably attached to a base.
The invention may be practiced with a pair of recesses emanating from the central socket portion to form a single slot which extends unobstructed across the entire breadth of the body. Alternatively, a second pair of recesses may be employed to form a total of two mutually perpendicular slots.
Support devices in accordance with the invention are particularly suited to the construction of residential decks. Horizontal, coplanar deck support members may be carried by a plurality of the foregoing support devices arranged in rows and columns. The horizontal deck support members are securely seated in the slots defined by the spaced apart side walls.
Where the deck is to be built on uneven ground, the horizontal members can be supported in a level attitude by a plurality of vertical support pillars. The bottom ends of the vertical support pillars are securely seated in one of the center socket portion, while their respective top ends bear the horizontal members in supporting engagement. The height of the vertical support pillars can vary to span the vertical distance between the uneven ground and the desired plane in which the horizontal support members reside.
In one embodiment, the construction support device of the invention comprises a body member having a lower surface which serves as a support on a base such as a slab, footing, or pier block. The body member has one or more recess means arranged to receive horizontal beams and the like. The body member also has a central socket for receiving a vertical pillar or post. The recess means are disposed on each of four sides of the body member at 90 degrees apart and communicate with the central socket and the exterior, the pairs of recesses opposite from each other being aligned whereby construction beams or the like can be laid therein in edge and/or end relation. Also, in such embodiment, the construction device has fastener-receiving means therein for attaching a beam or beams and a pillar together, and also for attaching the assembly to the base. In another embodiment, side edges of the body member at the recess openings have downturned projections shaped on a rear portion thereof to frictionally fit on top of pier blocks for anchoring the body member against lateral shifting.
In another embodiment, the construction support device of the invention is a single cast, one-piece pier block which comprises a body member serving as a capable support on unprepared and unleveled building sites, having localized dips, slopes and random level areas therein. The body member has a single recess means molded into the top surface capable of receiving horizontal deck surface support members and also capable of receiving the bottom end of a vertical wood post or pillar. The recess means can have particular dimensions for using conventional, existing lumber sizes and also such dimensions are such that the required integral strength of the block is maintained due to the manufacturing process and application without the necessity of using reinforcing bar steel or additional integral components. All of these features combine in a structural arrangement which automates and standardizes the manufacture and facilitates marketing, at a lower unit and resale cost, a deck that can be preplanned and pre-cut. Such a deck is simplified and inexpensive, and capable of construction by the average do-it-yourself homeowner who desires a deck on the unprepared and unleveled ground of a typical backyard.
The invention will be better understood and additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.